Hotel Online  Special Report

advertisements

,

 Xanterra First Hospitality Company in the U.S. Granted
the "Chain of Custody" Certification for Wild Alaska
Salmon from the Marine Stewardship Council
DENVER, December 10, 2003 - It's guaranteed. From the water to the dining room, all wild Alaska salmon served in Xanterra Parks & Resorts restaurants is sourced from sustainable salmon fisheries in Alaska.  Xanterra is the first hospitality company in the United States to be granted the "Chain of Custody" certification from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). This important accreditation guarantees that all of Xanterra's Alaska salmon menu items can be traced to their source, assuring consumers that the salmon is from a fishery that has met the non-profit organization's stringent environmental standards. 

While seafood products - including salmon - certified by MSC are widely promoted in Europe as well as in retail outlets in the U.S., the Xanterra-operated restaurants in national and state parks throughout the U.S. will be the first to display the distinctive blue MSC label on its menus. 

MSC is an international non-profit organization that works to enhance responsible management of seafood resources through a certification and eco-labeling process. As part of its effort to fight the devastating environmental consequences of over-fishing, MSC rewards environmentally responsible fisheries with certification and permission to use the organization's label. The Alaska salmon fishery earned certification in 2000. 

"By placing the MSC logo on our menus, we are promising our guests that their wild Alaska salmon dish is sustainable," said Tim  Stein, corporate food and beverage director for Xanterra Parks & Resorts.  "Since MSC is not as well-known in the U.S. as it is in Europe, we are also training our employees so they can knowledgeably answer questions about our sustainable seafood program. It is exciting to be actively involved in this important movement, and we are delighted to be working with the Marine Stewardship Council to communicate its importance to national and state park visitors. We are using sustainable MSC Certified Alaska salmon in lieu of farm-raised salmon, which is associated with numerous negative environmental impacts."

Xanterra has been involved in a variety of sustainable seafood and other environmental programs for many years. In 2001, Xanterra announced a comprehensive policy that included recommendations of sustainable seafood as well as an outright ban on certain kinds of seafood that have been determined to be harmful to the environment. Xanterra will not serve Chilean Sea Bass (Patagonian Toothfish), Atlantic Swordfish, all species of Shark and Bluefin Tuna. Earlier this year, Xanterra added Alaska salmon to its list of recommendations and launched a partnership with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) to promote wild Alaska salmon to its visitors and employees. 

ASMI was created as a cooperative partnership between the seafood industry and state government in Alaska. Its purpose is to advance the mutually beneficial goal of a stable seafood industry in Alaska. For more information about the Marine Stewardship Council, visit www.msc.org

Xanterra Parks & Resorts operates lodges, restaurants and other concessions at national parks and state parks and resorts. Xanterra is the country's largest national park concessioner. The company operates concessions in the following locations: Yellowstone National Park, the North and South Rims of Grand Canyon National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Crater Lake National Park, Death Valley National Park, Petrified Forest National Park, Everglades National Park, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial; and at the Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif.; Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. and eight Ohio State Parks. 

 

 
Contact:
Xanterra
www.xanterra.com
Also See: Driven by Desire to Do Right by the Environment, Chefs Wading Into Fisheries Management / July 2002


To search Hotel Online data base of News and Trends Go to Hotel.Online Search

Home | Welcome! | Hospitality News | Classifieds | Catalogs & Pricing | Viewpoint Forum | Ideas/Trends
Please contact Hotel.Online with your comments and suggestions.